Sunday, July 12, 2009

Bob gets his Marvel fix from the library

Well, it’s not like I’m going to pay for this shit. Not unless it’s going cheap.

* * *

Son Of M

In which Quicksilver acts completely in character by being a bit of a dick.

No, strike that. Quicksilver is more of a complete cock in this comic than any other Quicksilver appearance anywhere. And that’s saying a lot. Sure, he’s been bad and good, but never this awful.

There is a good chance he fucked his sister in one reality or the other, he treated poor Crystal awfully and has killed for dodgy ideologies. But there is something about turning his daughter into a junkie for the Terrigan Mists that is just horrible. Quicksilver has been arrogant and righteous, fierce and vengeful, but he’s never been that bad.

I really dig the art of Roy Allan Martinez, with its heavy European influence. It’s just a shame he’s stuck illustrating an infinitesimal part of the vast Marvel super-saga about one of its biggest wankers.

* * *

Ultimate X-MenVolume 19: Absolute Power

Fuck me, there’s Quicksilver again. I’ve totally lost track of the Ultimate version. Is he a good guy or bad? I really liked him in the Millar/Hitch Ultimates, where he stood up for his mates, even if they didn’t always know it. But is his Dad trying to kill him this week?

That, and the fact that this is the 19th volume, is the problem with the whole Ultimate X-men thing, and these have led to the unavoidable end, with the comic taken out behind the chemical sheds and quietly shot. The super-saga has gone so far up its own arse, it’s impossible to remember the basic status quo, especially with the parent continuity going through its own flux periods.

There is something nice about seeing poor old Cyclops finally take control of the energy coursing through his body, but Colossus treating Wolverine like a tasty chunk of KFC already looks old and boring, even if they do make fun of this.

Still, at least the comic keeps up the fine Ultimate tradition of introducing old-school characters, but trying to make them edgy and interesting by having them act like a bunch of arseholes. This doesn’t make Alpha Flight edgy or interesting. It just makes them arseholes.

* * *

Iron Man (Director of SHIELD): With Iron Hands

Stuart Moore has done a nice job of the transit from editor to creator, but he can really do better than this. He needs to get away from the spandex and armour, because there are some nice bits and pieces in here, it’s all just average superhero comics, and the world doesn’t need many more average superhero comics.

There aren’t enough spectacular ones.

* * *

Young X-Men: Final Genesis

Paquette has a lovely malleability to his line that is nice and appealing, and he is visibly improving at putting action scenes together. There is a bit in here where somebody gets smacked in the face with a shotgun, and it’s a nice bit of fluid storytelling that caught my eye.

The rest of it is pretty standard, and again, turning the originals New Mutants into a bunch of dicks in bad suits does not make them interesting.

* * *

The Incredible Hercules: Against The World

There is a fuckload of appeal of demi-gods striding across this Earth, throwing heat-seeking missiles into each other’s faces and continuing bloodfeuds that stretch back millennia. Attempts to tie into then-current Marvel continuity is a bit of a yawn, but when Pak and Van Lente go off the reservation, it’s a joy to behold.

To be honest, I enjoyed this so much, I’m almost ready to commit to a monthly relationship. It’s not spectacular, but it’s bloody entertaining and has some wit and intelligence to it. What more could you ask for?